


Reunion

by enogk07



Series: Revised Tumblr Fanfics [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Breakup, Drinking, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:26:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enogk07/pseuds/enogk07
Summary: Logan is particularly anxious about seeing a certain someone at his high school reunion, but the more time he spends talking to others, the more he realizes how much he took Patton for granted.





	Reunion

"But look, again, I'm really sorry this is so last minute. You'll survive though, I promise! Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, sure thing. Talk to you later."

Logan hung up the phone with Virgil and fought off the lump that was forming in his throat. He tossed the phone on his bed, and looked in the mirror as he tightened his tie. If he wasn't already dreading his five-year high school reunion, the news that his best friend had to bail at the last minute certainly did him in. Virgil was the only person who could get him through these kinds of things...at least since the breakup, anyway.

As he finished getting ready and got into his car, he couldn't help but wonder how things would go in that regard. Was Patton even going to be there? They hadn't had the least bit of contact since graduation. Logan really wasn't sure if he even wanted to see him--but then again, now that Virgil wasn't going to be there it was possible that his ex would be the only person he even knew at the party.

He pulled over for a moment, seriously considering if it was worth showing up at all anymore. But no, that wasn't fair. Marco was hosting it at their mansion, and although they and Logan were barely more than acquaintances, they seemed genuinely excited when Logan had told them he was coming. Marco was perfectly nice, and Logan resolved to go, if only for Marco's benefit.

So he started his car again and moved on down the road, and eventually he reached the aforementioned mansion. Even from where he was parked across the street, he could hear loud music going on inside, and he groaned internally.

"Hey look, Logan's here, everyone!" A very drunk Remy was the first sight that Logan encountered as he entered the noisy party. He shook himself off of his inebriated acquaintance, and with a polite nod towards the rest of the latter's friends, he wandered off in search of people whom he at least used to talk to.

Finally he came across the debate team hanging around in the kitchen, and he forced a smile and came up to his old teammates. Mike looked up and ushered him over.

"Hey, Logan! Good to see ya. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," Logan insisted. "Thanks though. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great! Chris and I are in law school and Megan's working at the New York Times. Emily's still in her last year at Stanford."

"What about you, Logan?" Megan spoke up. "We've barely seen you these past four years."

"Yeah, where'd you go to school again?"

Logan shifted uncomfortably. They just had to ask that. "Ohio State," he mumbled.

Chris' face changed. "Oh yeah, right. Well, what do you do now?"

"So what's the New York Times like, Megan?" Logan asked hurriedly, avoiding Chris' follow-up question entirely. But Emily's smirk made it clear enough that the others had gotten the message. Logan's face burned.

"Dude, it's great! It's everything I could have imagined, really."

"Well, cool! I'm glad to hear it," Logan said sincerely.

The five former debaters stood around awkwardly, until finally Logan broke the silence again in a panic. "So have you guys seen anyone else we know yet?"

"Oh yeah, I think the starving artists are over in the living room," Mike said with a sneer.

Logan cocked his head. "You mean...the drama kids?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, they're just all complaining," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Ugh, who cares?" Megan rolled her eyes. "It's like, of course you're not doing anything with your life, what did you expect?"

Logan just stood off to the side, his heart racing. He didn't know the Drama kids too well either, but just like Remy and Marco, they seemed nice enough and Logan never really had anything against them. But he'd forgotten just how elitist his fellow debaters could be.

He had to act fast. He couldn't eliminate his best chance at social contact...but he also couldn't just stand by while his former teammates said such snobbish things. But then again, at least the debate team wasn't going to pressure him to drink, and he wasn't sure if he'd find that quality anywhere else at the party. But Roman was a good guy, and hey, he'd probably stick up for Logan if he were in that position. But...

"Well, I don't think it's all their fault," He finally blurted out.

And then, instant regret.

"How could it not be their fault?" Chris asked incredulously. "If you go into theatre, you're gonna be staying with your parents for the rest of your life."

Logan peered into the living room. Sure enough, Roman and his posse were sitting on the couch with their drinks and laughing.

"Well, for what it's worth, they don't seem too unhappy," he said cautiously. But immediately he knew it was a mistake--the debate team may have worked well together, but it had been an unspoken rule throughout high school that the five of them always agreed with one another.

"Eh, that's just the beer talking," Emily said with a wave of her hand. She shuffled Logan away from the doorway. "Trust me, they're not worth getting involved with."

Logan's frowned, but resisted the temptation to linger on the drama club. He returned to his place leaning against the island and, in an attempt to brighten the mood, he said, "Well, I had the honor of seeing Remy the second I walked in here, so that was an adventure."

Chris cracked up. "Oh man, I'm sure that was a sight! Talk about someone who hasn't grown up at all since high school."

Logan blushed a little again. "Yeah. I mean, he was friendly, at least."

"And also the biggest deadbeat Gainesville Prep has ever seen," Megan added pointedly.

The five former debaters stood around awkwardly again for the next minute or so before Logan finally excused himself. "Well, I'll see you guys around!"

"Yeah, see ya!" Emily gave what appeared to be a friendly wave, but Logan could hear them all cracking up as he left the kitchen.

He wandered around more for the next twenty minutes looking for more people, but all the other people he could find were literal strangers. He thought about it--aside from the debate team, Remy, Marco, the Drama kids, Virgil, and...well, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he was really at a loss for a single person he knew from high school. Finally accepting defeat, he headed back towards the main entrance and went to grab his coat.

But on the way there, he ran into Marco. "Oh hey, Logan! Glad you could make it...gone so soon?"

The host's genuine friendliness gave Logan a twinge of guilt, but he said, "Yeah, I've got a lot to do tomorrow so I should probably head out."

"Aw, that's too bad! I know Patton was looking for you. Hang on, let me see if I can find him!"

Logan froze. So Patton was here after all. After the obnoxiously judgmental ego crushers that were his former debate teammates, he didn't feel up to dealing with the headache that was his childish, overly optimistic, perpetually silly, non-intellectual--

"Logan!"

The solemn college grad looked up, and to his surprise, relief flooded over him. Patton still looked like a high schooler, and he was terribly underdressed, but frankly his mere sobriety was a huge breath of fresh air.

For the first time that night, Logan grinned fully. He opened his arms wide. "Hey, Patton! Good to see you!" The two hugged tightly for several moments before separating and moving to sit on the bench next to the coat rack.

"So, what are you up to these days?" Logan asked cheerfully.

"I get to teach gymnastics to kids every day. It's so much fun! You should see them, they're all adorable. What about you?"

Logan took a deep breath and looked around quickly. He'd been avoiding the matter all night, but somehow, now that he was with the one person who, in all fairness, had never criticized him for anything...he finally felt safe enough to say it.

"Oh, I'm just working at Rite-Aid in the mornings," he said with a shrug. "Nothing too exciting."

"Aw, well that sounds relaxing! You get to have time off, at least." Patton said cheerfully.

Logan looked up. He studied Patton's face, but for the first time that night found no signs of irony or judgment.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, what is children's gymnastics like, anyway?" he asked hurriedly.

Patton brightened up. "Oh, it's so much fun! The kids there are all so nice to each other. You wouldn't even believe it. Like, one time this little girl finally did a chin-up for the first time after trying for, like, a week, and the next day her two best friends came in with a card they made for her to celebrate."

A smile spread across Logan's face. "That's...honestly the most adorable thing I've heard all night. Maybe even all year."

"Well, what's working at Rite-Aid like? I'm sure you must have some interesting stories yourself."

Logan thought for a moment. "Well, I wish I could say that my days are filled with such a level of wholesomeness...but I'm sure there are a few stories about annoying customers that I could tell you!"

Patton laughed, and before long, the two were busy trading anecdotes, not only from their jobs but also from all of college. Pretty soon several hours had passed, and the party was winding down.

Logan looked around as he noticed all the people leaving the lobby, and he glanced at his watch. "Oh wow, it's almost one in the morning. We should probably get going." He stood up.

"Oh, alright. See you later!" Patton got up, too, and outstretched his arms for a goodbye hug.

Logan gazed at Patton for a moment, suddenly choked up by the prospect of yet another goodbye. He'd just missed out on five years with this guy all because he'd let his elitist environment define for him what maturity meant, unaware that it had been staring him in the face the whole time. And there was no turning back or starting their relationship over--not given all the awful things that Logan had said to him after graduation.

But he still had to say something.

He took a deep breath and swallowed back another sob, and leaned in for a hug. He rested his head on Patton's shoulder for a few moments, just like he used to, and then he drew back.

"Hey, Patton?" he said shyly. Patton just raised his eyebrows with a knowing smile. "I'm really sorry...for everything."

Patton smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's all water under the bridge now. No worries."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Logan's eyes. "Really?"

Patton's own eyes flashed with worry, and he backtracked for a second, but maintained his smile and clarified, "Of course! What are friends for?"

Logan took a second to process that sting, but once he did, he offered his own smile and leaned in for another hug. Patton put his own head on Logan's shoulder and rubbed the latter's back.

As Logan pulled away for the second time and went back out to his car, he finally felt somewhat at peace. He understood that things wouldn't be the same again, but for the first time in five years, he understood that this safe, nonjudgmental person was still there when he needed him, at least as a friend. And he'd still been there the whole time.

And that was enough.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Reunion (Redux)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15935531) by [enogk07](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enogk07/pseuds/enogk07)




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